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I listened to the interview with John Kerry on PBS News Hour last night. Not everyone on the right takes PBS coverage of the Trump administration as fair and balanced but still ....... Kerry was asked about Syria. He said all administrations and the Western powers are at fault for what has transpired in Syria. He believes there was a point during his tenure where Assad could be leveraged if the west collectively acted with the US taking the leading role. He proposed a plan to Obama and he rejected it saying that it would only draw the US more deeply than he wanted it to be drawn into the ME. He had little to say about Trump's handling of US interests in the ME. I started to listen when Kerry said this. Instead of bashing Trump like could have he took a postion that did not put BO in a good light. Fair to say the least. Obama's ME policy IMO was dreadful.
What he did say about Trump was that he has never seen a presidency in his own lifetime or historically that lies and promotes falsehoods to the extent that the Trump presidency does. He stated this view is supported by the facts, not just someone's opinion. All you have to do is read any fact checking source to see his lying.
On Russia, he said Helsinki was a disgrace. On Korea, he said it's good to talk but added the Trump administration is getting played with a rope-a-dope routine by Chariman Kim. There is no agreed upon definition of what de-nuclearization means, there is not even an idea on the table in negotiations with NK of how to identify through inspections what nucs and delivery methods of those nucs NK has on hand, how to verify complaince with any agreements, basically none of the hard stuff in deal making like this is on the table let alone even talked about. It was a show and not a very good one at that.
On foreign relations, Kerry quipped, what foreign relations. Trump has managed to isolate the US and drive it's allies away. The word on the street is don't negotiate with the US during the Trump presidency. The US is not a reliable negotiating partner.
On Iran, and understand Kerry was major player in the the Nuclear Deal Iran agreed to by the signatories, he said, Trumps approach, which he identified as regime change, has enabled the hard liners and weakened moderates. He appears to not understand the implications of what he has set in motion by withdrawing from the accord. Another show without a lot of thought put into well, what now. Kerry does not think the Europeans can keep the deal in place which will lead to more hard-line stances between Iran and the West, more dangers for Israel and greater instability in the ME in general. It also invites China and Russia to increase their influence there and advance their interests at the expense of US interests and that of the US's ME allies.
Take it for what it's worth from a Democrat who disavows that he is considering running for President again. But, he paints a pretty accurate picture, IMO, of the damage Trump has done internationally to US interests. His supporters can crow all they want about the stock market gains, unemployment, GDP gains and so forth and some of that he can claim responsibility for but most of it, no. He's a bystander claiming he's a great president because things that presidents generally have no control over look to be doing well. My take is all of these gains at home he claims credit for are going to be short lived and there is going to be some pain when the regulatory environment he has created in the banking sector takes hold.
What he did say about Trump was that he has never seen a presidency in his own lifetime or historically that lies and promotes falsehoods to the extent that the Trump presidency does. He stated this view is supported by the facts, not just someone's opinion. All you have to do is read any fact checking source to see his lying.
On Russia, he said Helsinki was a disgrace. On Korea, he said it's good to talk but added the Trump administration is getting played with a rope-a-dope routine by Chariman Kim. There is no agreed upon definition of what de-nuclearization means, there is not even an idea on the table in negotiations with NK of how to identify through inspections what nucs and delivery methods of those nucs NK has on hand, how to verify complaince with any agreements, basically none of the hard stuff in deal making like this is on the table let alone even talked about. It was a show and not a very good one at that.
On foreign relations, Kerry quipped, what foreign relations. Trump has managed to isolate the US and drive it's allies away. The word on the street is don't negotiate with the US during the Trump presidency. The US is not a reliable negotiating partner.
On Iran, and understand Kerry was major player in the the Nuclear Deal Iran agreed to by the signatories, he said, Trumps approach, which he identified as regime change, has enabled the hard liners and weakened moderates. He appears to not understand the implications of what he has set in motion by withdrawing from the accord. Another show without a lot of thought put into well, what now. Kerry does not think the Europeans can keep the deal in place which will lead to more hard-line stances between Iran and the West, more dangers for Israel and greater instability in the ME in general. It also invites China and Russia to increase their influence there and advance their interests at the expense of US interests and that of the US's ME allies.
Take it for what it's worth from a Democrat who disavows that he is considering running for President again. But, he paints a pretty accurate picture, IMO, of the damage Trump has done internationally to US interests. His supporters can crow all they want about the stock market gains, unemployment, GDP gains and so forth and some of that he can claim responsibility for but most of it, no. He's a bystander claiming he's a great president because things that presidents generally have no control over look to be doing well. My take is all of these gains at home he claims credit for are going to be short lived and there is going to be some pain when the regulatory environment he has created in the banking sector takes hold.
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